I live in Larnaca. The oldest and most neglected city of Cyprus. Ask me whatever you want about larnaca. Here are some links for you about my hometown:

Municipality Website:
http://www.larnaka.com/

General Info:
http://www.kypros.org/Cyprus/larnaca.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larnaca
http://wikitravel.org/en/Larnaca

Wikipedia seriously needs revamp because Larnaca has so much more stuff to offer.

Some photos:

http://www.cyprushotels.org.uk/img/larnaca_1.jpg

http://www.cyprushotelsguide.net/img/larnaca_avenue.jpg

http://www.exodus.co.uk/pictures/t06hcto14.jpg

http://www.thomasrealestatecy.com/Larnaka/images/larnaca-01.jpg

http://www.soff.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/Main%20Photos/larnaca%20promenade1.jpg


I'll try and take some pics myself. Larnaca has so many truly great hidden features known only to the locals unfortunately. Most Cypriots see it as the poorest, most boring and neglected town in the country. That is far from the truth.

Feel free to ask whatever you want about the town.

I do have a question actually. What's the status of tourism in Larnaca? Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe things are not going too well for your city. While the rest of the island has seen considerable development in terms of tourist infrastructure over the last decade, Larnaca seems to be stuck in the past and that's of course one of the reasons why it lags behind other towns economically.

However, even though I realize that Larnaca and short on funds compared to other towns, here's what I believe is a realistic proposal the government (which has the money) must take into consideration:

1) Refurbish the hotel zone, with new sidewalks, numerous additional trees and other greenery, and maybe a monument or fountain.

2) Build at least one golf course in the Larnaca district, preferably within the tourist zone if there is space (on government-owned land)

3) Improve the quality, aesthetics, and cleanliness of the beach facilities. Maybe even construct one large artificial white sand beach to compete with the Famagusta district.

4) Build (maybe through private investments) a fashionable entertainment complex (once again in the tourist zone) with quality cafes, shops, restaurants, and a cinema or museum.

What do you think?

The town has some real potential and with good planning (and money!) things could quickly change. After all, the Larnaca district has some great properties for sale on the seafront, Larnaca also has a very nice palm tree-lined promenade along its main seafront in the center of town (many cities wish they had something like that), it has some beautiful old and historical buildings (many of which need renovating though), it has a large and well-equipped yatch marina, and Larnaca has at least some high-quality accommodation (but still needs more and newer hotels). Lastly, but not least, Larnaca is home to the island's largest international airport and it will be home to the ultra-modern new international airport in a couple of years...
Oh, and it's also well-connected to the other cities of Cyprus through a quality freeway network.

i agree that larnaka is the most neglected city on the island,but there are several plans to improve this ,hopefully they will be realized soon

1) there are plans for a golf course(the goverment wants at least one golf course in each district of the island)
2) there are plans for a casino (same with golf courses,one in each city plus one in the mountain resorts)
3) several of the hotels that were not doing well are now being renovated and sold as luxury appartments with swimming pools,gardens and etc.
4) several projects are under way in larnaka including some 9-10 stories buildings(luxury appartments at the sea front) that are under construction now
5) an expansion of the current marina is planned


some of the problems that larnaka faces is that it is restricted as a city to the east from the oil refineries and to the east from the airport.
all the cities on the island would have seen much more growth and development if it wasnt for the spending restrictions of the goverment in order for cyprus to join the eurozone.
hopefully we will join the eurozone so that the goverment can start spending some money

^ what's the news on the casinos? I heard the government is taking its time as usual, while the casinos in the occupied areas are doing extremely well...

Same goes for the marinas and golf courses; the government has been talking about additional marinas and more golf courses for quite some time now, but nothing ever seems to happen...

As for that new luxury high-rise on the Larnaca seafront, I saw pictures of what it will look like and I must say that I like what I saw. I reminds me of those on Miami beach!

i think they are about to reach a compromise solution for the casinos, akel seems to have back down,but nothing is final yet.
as for the golf courses they are trying to find a solution bc of the very big quantities of water they need for irrigation

Thanks for the questions. Indeed tourism is not a big industry here in Larnaca. What drives Larnaca's economy are the growth of services, local agriculture, the airport and construction mainly.

A golf course is being made near Tersefanou village and already there are many houses and luxury apartments sold for many thousands of CYP. But I dont think the golf course is anywhere near finished.

There is a city plan for creating squares and preserving local buildings. Already there are two squares. The Foinikoudes square by the entrance of the road and the Kalogries square which has turned out to be rather beautiful. I have also seen many buildings downtown being renovated and others in the shopping district being redesigned to look more classic. The next square is in front and around the St Lazarus chuch. Already half the buildings are renovated to look more classical and graphic.

Now for the casino there has been a declare of offers and it is going to be build near the marina which is also getting offers to be renovated but there are huge delays for both. The oil refinery is being closed by the way and doesnt work fully anymore. They are going to move them all to another location.

As for the beach extend Larnaca as one of the longest beaches in Cyprus along the Dhekelia road and since the hotels there are not doing well they are all being turned to tourist apartments and they are doing much better.

Now finally for the beach extension i heard they are making plans to expand the Foinikoudes from the Larnaca castle up to the Makenzi beach. But it sounds too costly.

Generally Larnaca recieves few or not funds from the government and the locals are trying via their businesses to fund various projects and improvements throughout the city. Larnaca is one of the most well connected cities in Cyprus, especially now when the new Dhekelia road is nearing completion. there are numerous ways to get to downtown in Larnaca and traffic is not bad as in Limassol or Nicosia.

I promise I'll get some photos of my town soon. There are so many beautiful things here.

Hi, I have a question: do Cyprus car licence plates have the blue EU band on it ?

Is Cyprus interested in becoming a Schengen member state?


*****Greece and Cyprus rule!******

I dont quite remember if mine does have the blue EU band but i think it does. Cyprus is a Schengen member state but the rules are not yet implemented http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schengen_treaty

What's the population of Larnaca (metro area)?

I see Larnaca has nice beaches, this can improve the tourism...

Hi. Its been a long time since anyone posted here. Anyways.

Larnaca's Dhekhelia coast line is one of the longest in the island but the government for some unknown reason is not taking advantage of it. Generally Larnaca is considered to be the neglected city for tourism because it recieves little to no funds for the improvement of its tourist infrastructure. The citizens just try to raise their own funds to improve the city but this is a very slow process.

Larnaca as a city has around 75 000 people but if you take into account the nearby village municipalities to which it is urbanly joined it might be around 90 000.

Thanks:cheers:

How far is Larnaca from Nicosia?

It takes about 30-45 minutes on the freeway to reach Nicosia from Larnaca. It's a nice and easy drive.

Σημαντική χαρακτήρισε τη χθεσινή μέρα ο Ανδρέας Μωυσέως

Το νέο πρόσωπο της Λάρνακας





Προκηρύχθηκαν οι προσφορές για τις πλατείες της Λάρνακας - Η ανάπλαση θα συνδέσει το παραλιακό μέτωπο με τον ιστορικό πυρήνα της Λάρνακας

Κάλλιο αργά παρά ποτέ. Η ρήση αυτή ταιριάζει γάντι στο έργο ανάπλασης των τριών πλατειών του εμπορικού κέντρου της Λάρνακας (Ερμού, Αγίου Λαζάρου και Μεσαιωνικού Κάστρου), αφού χθες προκηρύχθηκαν, επιτέλους, οι προσφορές για το σημαντικό αυτό έργο. Παρά τη μεγάλη καθυστέρηση που παρατηρήθηκε στην προώθηση του έργου (θεωρήθηκε αντισταθμιστικό έργο για τη δημιουργία της αφαλάτωσης στο αεροδρόμιο), εντούτοις η χθεσινή μέρα μπορεί να χαρακτηριστεί σημαντική για τη Λάρνακα, αφού ... το νερό μπήκε πλέον στο αυλάκι. Σύμφωνα με το δήμαρχο Ανδρέα Μωυσέως, υπολογίζεται ότι μέχρι το ερχόμενο φθινόπωρο, το αργότερο μέχρι το τέλος του τρέχοντος χρόνου, θα αρχίσουν οι κατασκευαστικές εργασίες και η προσπάθεια θα είναι το έργο να αποπερατωθεί εγκαίρως, ώστε να προκληθεί η μικρότερη δυνατή ταλαιπωρία για το κοινό. Σε δηλώσεις του στην εφημερίδα μας, ο κ. Μωυσέως εξέφρασε την ικανοποίησή του για την προκήρυξη των προσφορών, τονίζοντας ότι η καθυστέρηση που παρατηρήθηκε στην προώθηση του έργου δεν ήταν ευθύνη του Δήμου Λάρνακας. "Ήταν καθαρά θέμα πολιτικής της Κυβέρνησης για τον περιορισμό του δημοσίου χρέους, έτσι ώστε να μπορέσει η Κύπρος να ενταχθεί στη ζώνη του ευρώ. Πλέον ο δρόμος για ανάπλαση των τριών πλατειών έχει ανοίξει, οι προσφορές έχουν προκηρυχθεί και το φθινόπωρο ελπίζουμε ότι θα ξεκινήσουν οι εργασίες. Ο ποταμός δεν γυρίζει πίσω", ανέφερε χαρακτηριστικά ο δήμαρχος. Αξίζει να σημειωθεί, ότι το κόστος του έργου υπολογίζεται στα 4 εκατομμύρια λίρες, ενώ αρχικά, προτού παρατηρηθεί η καθυστέρηση, η δαπάνη ήταν στα 3 εκατομμύρια λίρες. Οι τρεις πλατείες αποτελούν έργα προτεραιότητας και έχουν προκηρυχθεί ως πολεοδομικά με απόφαση του Υπουργικού Συμβουλίου, με κυβερνητική συνεισφορά 2/3 και 1/3 του Δήμου Λάρνακας. Το ποσό που θα απαιτηθεί για την εκτέλεση του έργου έχει εξασφαλιστεί μέσω του ενοποιημένου δανείου των δήμων.


Αλλάζει όψη το κέντρο
Με την ολοκλήρωση των έργων στις τρεις πλατείες, το εμπορικό κέντρο της Λάρνακας θα αλλάξει όψη προς το καλύτερο και θα εξωραϊστεί. Οι καταστηματάρχες ελπίζουν ότι τα έργα αυτά θα προσελκύσουν περισσότερο κόσμο, ντόπιους και ξένους επισκέπτες και θα αναβαθμίσει τις οικονομικές δραστηριότητες του εμπορικού κέντρου, θέτοντας ταυτόχρονα φραγμό στη φθίνουσα πορεία των τελευταίων χρόνων. Η ανάπλαση των πλατειών θα συνδέσει το παραλιακό μέτωπο (περιοχή Μεσαιωνικού Κάστρου) με τον ιστορικό πυρήνα της Λάρνακας, θα προβάλει και θα αναδείξει τον ιστορικό ιστό της πόλης μέσω δικτύου αξιόλογων κτισμάτων που γειτνιάζουν με άλλα ιστορικά μνημεία και θα αναδείξει την πολιτική και ιστορική ταυτότητα της Λάρνακας. Παράλληλα, με την κατασκευή των τριών πλατειών, αναμένεται ότι θα προωθηθούν άμεσα και οι νέες ρυθμίσεις κυκλοφορίας και στάθμευσης στο εμπορικό κέντρο.


Έπονται κι άλλα έργα
Μιλώντας στον "Π", ο δήμαρχος Ανδρέας Μωυσέως υποσχέθηκε ότι μετά την προκήρυξη των τριών πλατειών, μέχρι το τέλος του 2007, θα προκηρυχθούν δύο ακόμα σημαντικά έργα για τη Λάρνακα, η Α΄ φάση του παραλιακού δρόμου Λάρνακας - Δεκέλειας (από τον κόμβο λιμανιού μέχρι τα Λειβάδια) και η επέκταση της λεωφόρου Φανερωμένης (από το Cineplex μέχρι τον κόμβο του νέου ΓΣΖ). Ο κ. Μωυσέως είπε ότι η εκτέλεση του έργου των πλατειών θα αποτελέσει τη βάση για το Σχέδιο Περιοχής, το οποίο αφορά την ανάπτυξη και την αναζωογόνηση ολόκληρου του αστικού εμπορικού κέντρου της Λάρνακας.





ΓΡΑΦΕΙ ΒΑΣΟΣ ΒΑΣΟΥ

Κωδικός άρθρου: 723438

ΠΟΛΙΤΗΣ - 30/06/2007, Σελίδα: 58

http://www.politis-news.com/cgibin/hweb?-A=723438&-V=articles

Finally!!

^^ [ Λάρνακα - Larnaka ]

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=434177

Να προσέχουμε παρακαλώ που καταχωρούμε τα μηνύματα μας.